SPORTS
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
1B
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @EOSPORTS
HERMISTON
Bulldogs pass trial run against Rams
Hermiston softball sweeps season
series with Central Catholic
By ERIC SINGER
East Oregonian
Hermiston will play each
team in the four-team Columbia
River Conference three times
this season, and to get three wins
in those situations is always a
tough task.
So Bulldogs softball coach
Kate Greenough said Saturday’s
doubleheader against Central
Catholic was a good test for what
the team will be facing in the
CRC, as Hermiston had already
played and beaten Central Cath-
olic once prior at a spring break
tournament on Mar. 28. After
Saturday’s two games were over,
Greenough’s team passed its first
test as the Bulldogs swept the
Rams 6-4 and 5-3 on a windy
day at Rocky Heights field.
The Bulldogs took two
different paths to get both wins,
leading the entire way in Game
1 and holding off a rally by the
Rams, followed by a late come-
from-behind win in Game 2.
“This was a great indication
of how our league is laid out
because it is really tough to beat
the same team three times,”
Greenough said afterwards. “But
the girls didn’t stop fighting and
didn’t give up. We definitely had
moments of inconsistency, but
the ability to fight back and stay
Hermiston’s
Ashley
Cameron
(9) coasts
into home
plate to
score a run
during the
Bulldogs’
softball
double-
header with
Central
Catholic on
Saturday in
Hermiston.
Softball
Central Cath. Hermiston
4-3
6-5
in the game on these long days
showed a lot of growth.”
In Game 1, Hermiston (6-5)
got to Central Catholic right
away in the bottom of the first
inning as the Bulldogs had four
hits to help push across four runs
for an early lead. After giving
up two in the top of the second,
Hermiston answered with two
more in the third after a two-RBI
triple by Kalei Smith for a 6-2
lead. But those were the last runs
Hermiston scored in the game as
its offense went ice cold after.
Staff photo by
Eric Singer
See BULLDOGS/2B
Rugby: Salem 29, East Oregon 24
NBA
Vonleh’s
layup gives
Blazers win
Portland rests stars against Spurs
after securing playoff spot
By ANNE M. PETERSON
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Noah Vonleh made a layup
at the buzzer and the Portland Trail Blazers beat
the San Antonio Spurs 99-98 on Monday night
despite resting starters Damian Lillard and CJ
McCollum.
Shabazz Napier scored
a career-high 32 points for
Portland, which won its third
straight a day after Denver’s San Antonio
loss to Oklahoma City gave
the Blazers the eighth and final
playoff spot in the West.
Kawhi Leonard led the
Spurs with 18 points.
Portland
Portland took an 88-87 lead
on Napier’s 3-pointer before
Bryn Forbes answered with a
3 for the Spurs. San Antonio
extended the lead on Jonathon Simmons’ dunk
and Kyle Anderson’s basket.
After Pat Connaughton’s long jumper for
Portland, Jake Layman dunked to narrow the
98
99
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Jake Szumski, of the East Oregon Sasquatch rugby team, carries the ball as Salem’s Isaac Vipperman gets ready to
tackle during Saturday’s game at Grecian Heights Park in Pendleton. Salem won 29-24 to drop the Sasquatch to 1-2
on the season. East Oregon will be hosting Three Rivers on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Prep Roundup
See BLAZERS/2B
MLB
Paxton gem lifts Seattle at home
Pendleton’s Greb shoots six
under for win at Indian Creek
Hermiston girls
golf wins team
title at Hood River
tournament
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pend-
leton senior Haley Greb
shot six-under par to win
Monday’s tournament at
Indian Creek Golf Course
in Hood River.
Greb came in with a
66 to lead the Buckaroos
girls’ team, which was one
short of a full lineup and so
unable to win the team title.
That went to Hermiston
with 429 score, and Hood
River was second with 466.
The Dalles won the
boys’ team title with 325,
Pendleton was second with
345 and Goldendale was
third with 390.
Senior Nathan Som
shot an 82 to finish in a
three-way tie for second
place, Brayden Pulver shot
84, Jared Geier had 89 and
Trevor Reyes had 90 to
compelete the team score.
Other scores for Pend-
leton Monday were Seth
Wood with 112, and Rylee
Harris and Mckenzie
McLeod each with 111.
UP NEXT
The Pendleton Invitational
begins at noon on Thursday
at Pendleton Country Club.
BEND
INVITA-
TIONAL — Hermiston’s
top four all shot below 90
and the Bulldogs took third
as a team on Monday at
Bend Country Club.
Summit won the title
with a score of 318, Bend
was second with 327 and
Hermiston shot 341.
Jared Thacker’s 84 over
18 holes was good enough
for 10th, and Anders Lind
and Tyler Cameron each
shot 85. Kayden Meacham
had 87 and fifth golfer Blue
Blackhurst had a 99.
Bend’s Rhett Pederson won
the individual title with 72.
UP NEXT
Hermiston will be at the
Pendleton Invitational on
Thursday.
BASEBALL
HERMISTON
14,
KENNEWICK 11 — At
Kennewick, Washington,
Kody Moss hit a two-RBI
single to put Hermiston
on top during its eight-run
rally in the fifth inning, and
the Bulldogs never gave
the lead back in Monday’s
non-league baseball game.
Kennewick challenged
them in the bottom of the
seventh and had bases
loaded after a two-out walk.
A single brought one
run in and the winning run
to the plate, but Bulldogs
reliever Jordan Ramirez got
a fly ball that center fielder
Joel Mendez hauled in for
the final out.
Hermiston (4-5) went into
the seventh inning up 11-10,
and added three insurance
runs an RBI double by Wyatt
Noland then a two-RBI
single by Kaden Caldwell.
Mendez went 3-for-5
with three RBI from his
lead-off spot in the lineup
and scored two runs. Noland
(2 for 4) scored twice with
two RBI, and Moss and
Gritz also had two RBI.
UP NEXT
Hermiston
opens
Columbia River Confer-
ence play on Friday with
a doubleheader at Hood
River that starts at 4 p.m.
———
R H E
HHS
110 180 3 — 14 11 2
KHS
003 430 1 — 11 11 2
W — C. Schwirse.
2B — S. Gritz, W. Noland (HHS); Sell-
ers, Gee, Stevens (KHS).
FROM SATURDAY
SOFTBALL
MAC-HI
21-21,
ONTARIO 11-8 — At
Ontario, the explosive
offense of the Mac-Hi soft-
ball team was on display
again on Saturday afternoon
See PREPS/2B
Seattle
Mariners
starting
pitcher
James Pax-
ton throws
against the
Houston
Astros in
the first
inning of
a baseball
game,
Monday in
Seattle.
AP Photo/Elaine
Thompson
Mariners rebound from ugly loss to win home opener
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
SEATTLE — James
Paxton gave Seattle manager
Scott Servais and the Mari-
ners exactly the reset they
needed after a horrid first
week on the road.
“It’s opening day, the first
day of the season,” Servais
joked. “With what happened
this last week, especially
yesterday, we needed to
bounce back. I felt strongly
we would.”
Paxton provided the
fresh start, pitching seven
innings of four-hit ball and
leading the Mariners past
the Houston Astros 6-0 on
Monday in Seattle’s home
opener.
Paxton
shut
down
Houston for the second time
Houston
Seattle
0
6
in a week, helping the Mari-
ners rebound from Sunday’s
ugly ninth-inning collapse
against the Angels when
they gave up seven runs and
lost 10-9. Paxton (1-0) kept
Houston’s offense silent long
enough for Seattle’s bats to
wake up and finally convert
with runners in scoring posi-
tion. He struck out eight and
walked two while pitching in
Seattle’s home opener for the
second time in his career.
“I feel really confident in
what I’m doing and focusing
on the process of what I need
to do out there ... and so far
getting the good results we
need,” Paxton said.
In 13 innings against the
Astros this season, Paxton
has not allowed a run and
scattered six hits. Carlos
Correa had Houston’s first
three hits on Monday — two
of which didn’t leave the
infield — and Carlos Beltran
added a single in the seventh
inning to put two runners
on with no outs. Paxton
got Evan Gattis to foul out,
struck out Marwin Gonzalez
and got defensive help from
Leonys Martin running down
Josh Reddick’s drive to cap
the outing.
“I think he’s gonna give
the whole league a hard time
if he has that kind of power
and that kind of ability to
land his breaking ball —
See MARINERS/2B